Weather News

Perth endures hottest night on record

Rob Sharpe,
Sunday January 12, 2014 - 12:41 EDT

Many Perth residents woke up bleary eyed this morning after suffering through the city's hottest night in over 110 years of records.

Yesterday was Perth's hottest day since Boxing Day 2007, reaching a scorching 43 degrees before the Fremantle Doctor finally came in. The temperature was falling consistently until 9:30pm down to 32 degrees, but then the easterly winds pushed in raising the mercury back to 35 degrees. Those without air conditioners struggled to sleep in the oppressive heat.

It wasn't until the early hours of the morning that the temperature finally fell below 30 degrees. However the minimum was still a new record of 29.7 degrees at 3:12am, 0.4 degrees warmer than the previous record and almost two degrees warmer than any previous January night.

The temperature has climbed quickly this morning due to the very hot airmass lingering in the region. The heating will get cut off during the late morning, but not before it reaches the 40's for the second day running. The southwesterly change will drop the mercury, but will also bring in extra humidity. It will still be in the low 30's until the mid-afternoon.

The working week will be much cooler by comparison, probably staying below 30 degrees every day. Some heat will move back into the region over the weekend, leading to temperatures in the mid-to-high 30's, but thankfully it won't be as hot as this weekend.